Guest Article

 

We thought that today's sampler collectors would enjoy the following article, which was written by Walter A. Dyer and appeared in the magazine Country Life in America in April, 1916. Here is scanned copy of the original, with its illustrations of two samplers and one silk embroidery that are owned by the Metropolitan Museum . We hope that he, as a great admirer of this field, would be pleased to share his knowledge, 93 years after it was written.

 

Walter Alden Dyer (1878-1943) was an American author and journalist. He graduated from Amherst College in 1900. A year later, he joined the staff of the Springfield Union as an editor. He was managing editor of the magazine Country Life in America  from 1906 to 1914 and wrote a column entitled “The Collector's Corner Cupboard.” Dyer wrote widely about antiques, furniture and decorative arts; his books included  The Lure of the Antique (1910), Creators of Decorative Styles (1917) and Handbook of Furniture Styles (1918). He also wrote children’s books, dog books and novels.